Roses and Thorns

A rose goes to the Roaring Fork Valley firefighters who stopped what they were doing this week to provide aid to Boulder and surrounding flood-stricken areas. We are fortunate to have service men and women who show selflessness in the face of crisis.

We're giving a basket-full of thorns to South Carolina resident George Plummer, who told authorities after his arrest for using poison arrows to hunt that he'd been using the technique for years. After Plummer pleaded guilty last week in Grand Junction to a variety of wildlife charges, Judge Arthur Smith chided the so-called hunter, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. This isn't hunting. This is just going out and killing things." Hear, hear.

A rose to all of the Aspen school teachers and community volunteers who just spent a week in the backcountry — in challenging weather — with the Aspen Middle School eighth-grade class for Outdoor Education. And to the kids, who are more resilient than most of their parents.

A thorn to those arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration who ratted on former Aspen resident Montgomery Chitty for selling cocaine. True, there is no honor among thieves, but while Chitty rots in prison for the next 20 years, other defendants got sweetheart deals all because they sold out a partner who wasn't nearly as culpable as some of them in this drug ring.